Most Overrated Thrash Metal Bands

gemcloben

The Top Ten

1AnthraxAnthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker.

The Anthrax with Joey Belladonna from the Mid 80's to Early 90's is overrated while Among the Living and Persistence of Time are great albums the rest aren't as good Spreading the Disease isn't as good as its made out to be and State of Euphoria is boring and mostly forgettable then joey left after Persistence of Time and I also must mention Anthrax during this time period their instrumentals were not as good as they are now then John Bush Came in and I would say that Anthrax started to make better Instrumentals, Sound of White Noise and We've Come For You All are underrated albums they are better than most of the albums with Joey bit however Stomp 442 is their weakest album. So then Joey came Back and Anthrax are now doing what they should have done in the 80's. They are also in the big 4 even though in my opinion there are so many better Thrash Bands lie Exodus, Kreator, Testament, Overkill to name a few - christangrant

I do love anthrax A LOT, but I don't think they should be in the big 4. - gemcloben

Death Angel and Testament are better than Anthrax in my opinion...

S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of Death) is better than Anthrax oh and it's by the same people behind Anthrax (Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Dan Lilker) - christangrant

2ExodusExodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1979 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of 37 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members.

Exodus, Anthrax, Sodom, Overkill, Death Angel, Evile, Tankard? These are all amazing bands. Although I don't think Pantera or Machine Head are thrash - ryanrimmel

They're seen as this legendary classic band but they've never released anything mind blowing. Piranha is hailed to be their best song, but it's nothing special.

I think Exodus are actually very underrated. - Metal_Treasure

Exodus with Baloff was the best.Bonded by Blood! but there's nothing special after that with Zetro

3MetallicaMetallica is an American Thrash Metal band formed in 1981 . The original lineup was James Hetfield (Vocalist and Rhythm guitarist), Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Ron McGovney (Bassist). The group came into mainstream from their Self-Titled album and the hit single "Enter Sandman". ...read more.

Well, I do think Exodus is a bit overrated. Now, I voted for Metallica, but I do want to remind everyone that Anthrax may deserve spot 2 or 3. They did sell out. Now, they came back, but I do want to remind people that so did many other bands that don't catch the flak they deserve. Only a couple big thrash bands didn't seriously sell out: Megadeth (Yeah, I know Risk, but remember that their real move from thrash was 1994. And it seems like they were genuinely just doing something they thought was interesting. And they showed they kick butt no matter what they're playing), Sodom, Overkill, F&J, Metal Church, and Slayer (though after '94, they flat-out sucked). Exodus just quit.

Metallica takes the cake easily. However, Slayer, Exodus, and Anthrax are close behind. I might even throw in Testament. I do think they are a bit overrated, but they have been consistently good. Maybe a bit too consistent, like Slayer. Honestly, their last three albums are almost indistinguishable if you listen to them while sleepy.

I mean they only put out 4 thrash records. They were all extremely good, but since then, they haven't been very good.

Sure, The Black Album had some great songs, but that style is not Metallica. - ryanrimmel

4SodomSodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. They have gone through many line-up changes, leaving bassist vocalist Tom Angelripper as the only constant member.

5Death AngelDeath Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released seven studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums.

How are they overrated?! Death Angel is one of the most underrated thrash metal bands of all time!

How can someone say this is overrated?

They aren't overrated. - Metal_Treasure

6PanteraPantera was an American Heavy Metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul. The band started out as a Glam Metal act in the 1980s with little success. After discarding their original lead vocalist and enlisting Phil Anselmo, the band signed a major record deal with ...read more.

I just don't think they should be on the best thrash bands, as they are groove - gemcloben

Pantera isn't even thrash metal. Their genre is groove metal.

7OverkillOverkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D.

How is this above Metallica and Slayer?!

My all time favourite thrash band. - IronSabbathPriest

More like, underrated than overrated.

Every album sounds the same. at least Metallica didn't spend their whole career making albums with the same music with different lyrics and horrible vocals. - Sabbath

8MegadethMegadeth is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Megadeth was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, shortly after Mustaine was fired from Metallica. They have released 15 studio albums to date, and have gone through many lineup changes, with Dave ...read more.

Megadeth has a spoiled fanbase, which isn't really too big of a surprise. Despite the band having mostly buried its feud with Metallica, several fans can get too arrogant and start throwing insults at Metallica whilst at the same time over-hyping Megadeth. Some go as far as to say Megadeth is the most "influential" figure for Extreme Metal and even worse, the "creators" of Thrash Metal.

Now personally, I don't see Thrash Metal as an Extreme Metal subgenre, but I do think the former plays a large role in influencing the latter. But in all honesty, while Megadeth is a very important band, I think it's the least influential out of the Big Four and its had its major ups-and-downs. Metallica sold out, but at least those albums managed to age well and become retrospectively better overtime. I can't say the same thing for Risk and Super Collider. Also, I should note that the band's lineup consistency isn't exactly the best for personal reasons. - CrimsonShark

How is Megadeth not in the top 10? They are a great band but nowhere near the best of the big 4 or best of Thrash they are better than Anthrax but not better than Slayer or Metallica. Dave Mustaine isn't a good singer and even he himself admits that, Plus I would say Kreator, Exodus and Testament are all better than Megadeth Rust in Peace maybe better than all of the albums by those bands but not Peace Sells But Who's Buying? Because the "I Ain't Superticious" cover sucks like most of Megadeth's covers but Megadeth is a good band but not deserving of being called "The Best" plus they made 2 bad albums Risk, and Super Collider which are both worse than St. Anger in my opinion. - christangrant

Should be number 1 - christangrant

9EvileEvile are an English thrash metal band from Huddersfield, formed in 2004. The band's debut album, Enter the Grave, was produced by Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark and was released worldwide in 2007 by Earache Records to critical acclaim by fans and critics alike.

10TankardTankard is a thrash metal band from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, founded in 1982. Along with the bands Kreator, Destruction and Sodom, Tankard is often considered one of the "The Big Teutonic Four" of Teutonic thrash metal.

Who the hell overrates Tankard?

The Contenders

11SlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. They rose to fame with their 1986 album Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the big four of thrash metal bands, the others being Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. ...read more.

I love Slayer. Their musicianship is noteworthy, the influence is acknowledged universally and their status is legendary in the music industry. They're also one of the few Thrash bands I can consider to be Extreme Metal.

However, Slayer has had its misfortunes and drawbacks. Most of their 90s material was mediocre and while I respect the fact they experimented in Diabolus in Musica, the end product wasn't really good. In addition, Kerry King these days can be somewhat petty at times, with remarks that are downright laughable. He even denied Gary Holt in writing contribution in Repentless, which is a damn shame.

I'm not gonna talk about the fanbase, as that's another story to itself... - CrimsonShark

Extremely overrated. Like they're the best Trash metal band in the world. - Userguy44

12Metal ChurchMetal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 before relocating to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel.

If this is overrated, then just what is Metallica?

13Machine HeadMachine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Adam Duce. They have received great critical success especially for their album "The Blackening" which is considered a modern metal ...read more.

14Nuclear AssaultNuclear Assault is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed after bassist Dan Lilker left Anthrax in 1984. After releasing five full-length albums and touring relentlessly throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Nuclear Assault split up in 1995. They briefly reunited in 1997 and again ...read more.

Hahah,nice joke.This must be the most underrated Thrash Metal band,along with Annihilator - DejanKalinic

15HavokHavok is an American thrash metal band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2004, their members currently consist of David Sanchez, Nick Schendzielos, Pete Webber, and Reece Scruggs.

What? No. Just... no. If anything, they're underrated.

16D.R.I.D.R.I. is an American crossover thrash band that formed in Houston, Texas in 1982. As of 2015, the band comprises two of its founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Walter "Monsta" Ryan and bassist Harald Oimoen.

17KreatorKreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen. Their style of music is similar to that of their compatriots Destruction, Sodom and Tankard; along with those three bands, Kreator has been referred to as one of the "big four" of Teutonic thrash metal, and they are often credited with helping pioneer ...read more.

Ever since Gods of Violence released, everyone keeps talking about them, and it's annoying the hell out of me.

Kreators actually Underrated - christangrant

18Toxic HolocaustToxic Holocaust is an American black/thrash metal band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1999. The band has gained notoriety among the thrash metal community, and is arguably one of the most popular modern thrash metal bands. Toxic Holocaust also gained attention when their song "Bitch" was featured ...read more.

19Vio-LenceVio-lence was an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.

20Whiplash

21RazorRazor is a Canadian thrash metal band formed in 1984 at Guelph, Ontario. The group shot music videos for songs such as "Evil Invaders", "Shotgun Justice", "American Luck", and "Sucker for Punishment".

22Dark AngelDark Angel is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1981. Their over-the-top style (extremely fast, heavy and lengthy songs with lots of tempo changes, lyrics and extended instrumental parts) earned them the nickname "the L.A. Caffeine Machine". Although Dark Angel had ...read more.

This is a joke. How are they overrated? - Metal_Treasure

23VenomVenom are an English extreme metal band formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal—are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general.